naturalistic
Americanadjective
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pertaining to naturalists or natural history.
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pertaining to naturalism, especially in literature and art.
adjective
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of, imitating, or reproducing nature in effect or characteristics
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of or characteristic of naturalism, esp in art or literature
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of or relating to naturalists
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(of an ethical theory) permitting the inference of ethical judgments from statements of nonethical fact See Hume's law
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of naturalistic
Explanation
Something that's naturalistic looks real. If you say "excuse me" to a naturalistic mannequin in a store, then that mannequin must look like the real deal! Naturalistic things resemble or are influence by reality, so a naturalistic conversation in a movie sounds like something people would really say to each other, and the naturalistic mooing sound your little cousin makes sounds like a real cow. The 1849 definition of naturalistic was "aiming for realism," from natural and its Latin root, naturalis, "according to nature."
Vocabulary lists containing naturalistic
Drama Terminology
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Reading: Literature - Drama - High School
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Words to Describe a Work of Art
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Meyering and cinematographer Natalie Kingston create a naturalistic and often dark look, though “Horsegirls” is beautifully shot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
A naturalistic account of terror and extraordinary endurance, the novel gave some small sense of the cost that was paid for victory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
“To go to the source script has been very interesting, because while there are references to bedrooms and the boys being upstairs, Miller doesn’t describe a naturalistic setting,” Mantello said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
Mr. Zeldin writes crisp, fluid, naturalistic dialogue; unlike in Greek tragedies, there are no soliloquies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
As he describes it: To carefully study the organization and sequence of this, the approach must be naturalistic or ethological.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
